Toy Train Time at Highland Park Historical Society

Looking for something, fun, inexpensive and low impact to do this weekend?

Are you all shopped out? Tired of the TV specials? And what’s the point of watching the Bears play?

Or do you have”out of town” relatives in for a visit? How about toy trains?

Last Sunday, December 6, we invited my visiting expatriate brother and sister-in-law and their year old granddaughter for a pleasant afternoon in Highland Park, America.

We began with lunch at Michael’s and my brother ordered a Green River. A beverage  not obtainable in his adopted home of Canada.

After enjoying the local cuisine of hot dogs, cheddar fries and frozen yogurt, we made our way over to the Highland Park Historical Society for their Third Annual History of Toy Train Exhibit.

We were warmly greeted at the door by volunteers and invited to hear a presentation by JoBe Cerny, who not only is a train collector and enthusiast, but also was featured in an Ageless North Shore story about the Mike Royko Letters.

JoBe informed us that these trains (nearly all from his collection) were manufactured by the A.C. Gilbert Company of New Haven, Connecticut. Gilbert bought American Flyer from William Coleman of Chicago in the mid-1930s, but toy train production was very limited during the Great Depression and World War II.

As soon as the war ended, America embraced the toy train industry, and the era known as “The Golden Age of Model Railroading” began.

After our introduction to the collection of trains, JoBe walked us through an extensive historic photographic collection about the real railroads of Highland Park, the North Shore and a circus train exhibit.

There is also a room devoted to Plasticville. “Plasticville was created,” said JoBe, ” to introduce people to the perfect American community.” There are examples of almost any kind of building imaginable on display and on the large train layout. Also in the Plasticville room are toy train videos  and videos from the two previous Toy Train shows.

The large operating Toy Train layout features  steam and diesel American Flyer engines, train cars, buildings, and operating accessories like the cattle loader, the sawmill, the log loader, the coal loader, the barrel loader, a magnetic crane, several whistling bill boards, and those great “Plasticville” buildings.

Coffee and cookies are served in the charming kitchen in the back which features a classic stove, ice chest, and pantry filled with vintage product cans, bottles and crockery.

Check out our video.

Saturdays 10:00 – 3:00 and Sundays 1:00 – 4:00 through January 18
The Highland Park Historical Society, 326 Central Avenue, Highland Park
$3.00 per person/$8.00 per family
www.highlandparkhistory.com.
To arrange a special group tour call 847-432-4090